cM^issionary  Giving 


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the 


Sunday  School 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/missionarygivingOOmeth 


Missionary  Giving  in  the 
Sunday  School 

Money,  money,  money,  always  beg- 
ging for  money!"  If  a user  of  this 
oft  repeated  phrase  should  chance  to 
pick  up  this  leaflet  let  him  read  on  without  fear 
for  he  will  not  be  asked  for  a gift  through  these 
pages.  And  as  for  wanting  money,  who  doesn’t  ? 
Does  the  reader  profess  to  be  beyond  the  desire 
for  more  cash  ? And  does  he  know  of  any  or- 
ganization, political,  social,  commercial,  philan- 
thropic, or  religious,  that  does  not  need  money  ? 
The  person  who  is  on  the  “inside”  of  any  of 
these  organizations  knows  the  financial  demands. 
You  know  the  needs  of  the  Church  because 
you  are  one  of  its  dependable  members.  The 
writer  does  not  think  that  the  Church  asks  for 
money  any  oftener  than  the  club  or  other  or- 
ganization, but  if  it  does,  may  it  not  be  because 
its  program  and  mission  are  much  larger  ? Think 
this  over  and  see  if  the  Church  is  not  worth  a 
thousand  times  more  than  it  costs. 

Results  of  Training.  But  look  at  this  ques- 
tion from  another  viewpoint.  The  conditions 
existing  during  any  generation  are  due  in  a large 
part  to  the  influences  that  have  been  handed 


MISSIONARY  GIVING  IN 


down  from  the  past.  The  financial  condition  of 
the  Church  today  is  a result  of  the  training  or 
lack  of  training  of  the  last  generation.  The  giv- 
ing in  the  future  will  result  from  the  training  or 
lack  of  training  of  the  present.  Thus  missionary 
givers  in  the  Sunday  School  of  today  will  be  a 
tremendous  factor  in  the  Church  of  tomorrow. 
Christ  gave  his  followers  a great  task,  to  which 
they  have  responded  altogether  too  slowly. 
When  compared  with  the  past,  great  progress 
has  been  made  during  this  century,  but  when 
compared  with  the  need  and  opportunity  only  a 
beginning  has  been  made.  In  the  early  days  of 
his  ministry  in  India,  our  first  missionary,  William 
Butler,  asked  for  one  hundred  missionaries.  That 
was  about  sixty  years  ago,  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  has  only  ninety-eight  male 
missionaries  in  India  today  (excluding  Burma). 
The  next  generation  must  be  more  responsive  to 
Christ’s  program.  So  far  as  Methodism  is  con- 
cerned the  answer  lies  with  the  4,000,000 
teachers  and  scholars  of  the  Sunday  School 
of  today. 

Immediate  Results.  But  the  Sunday  School 
is  also  a factor,  and  a very  large  factor,  in  present 
day  financial  problems.  The  greatest  benevo- 
lent organizations  of  our  Church  have  built  up 
large  portions  of  their  work  on  the  gifts  of  the 
Sunday  School.  These  gifts  are  scattered  all 
over  our  homeland,  and  m our  foreign  mission 
fields.  A total  of  $5,292,154  has  been  con- 


THE  SUNDAY  SCHCXDL 


tilbuted  during  the  past  ten  years,  and  the  an- 
nual offering  now  approximates  $600,000. 

A Twofold  Aim.  In  developing  a plan 
of  missionary  giving  in  the  Sunday  School,  two 
objectives,  therefore,  must  be  kept  in  mind ; the 
immediate  needs  of  those  treasuries  which  have 
depended  upon  the  Sunday  School  for  funds  to 
propagate  their  work,  and  the  development  of 
such  habits  of  giving  that  even  larger  resources 
will  be  available  in  the  future. 

GIVING  AND  CHRISTIAN 
CHARACTER 

Leaders  in  religious  education  are  attaching 
increased  significance  to  the  question  of  giving  in 
the  Sunday  School.  They  would  have  us  ask 
for  money  not  only  because  the  cause  needs  it, 
but  because  the  child  needs  to  give  it.  Getting 
money  is  not  an  aim  of  the  Sunday  School  but  is 
a part  of  the  process  by  which  the  benevolent 
and  altruistic  elements  of  Christian  character  are 
developed.  It  is  also  a part  of  the  worship  of  the 
Sunday  School.  Christians  of  all  ages  need  to 
realize  more  fully  that  worship  consists  of  more 
than  prayer,  scripture  and  song.  Included  with 
these  are  thanksgiving,  the  offering  of  money  and 
the  dedication  of  life.  If  proof  is  needed  tlie 
scriptures  supply  it  amply. 

Immediate  vs.  Ultimate  Results.  The  pres- 
sure of  inunediate  need  is  ever  present.  The 


MISSIONARY  GIVING  IN 


benevolent  boards  are  in  distress  and  in  seeking 
to  respond  it  is  easy  to  lose  sight  of  ultimate  and 
equally  important  ends.  Missionary  money  may 
be  secured  in  large  sums  by  methods  which  will 
cheapen  the  whole  missionary  enterprise  and  in 
the  end  do  more  harm  than  good.  The  Church 
has  accomplished  much  but  viewed  from  the 
standpoint  of  possibilities  has  not  been  overly 
successful  in  developing  benevolent  Christians. 
The  large  sums  given  are  small  compared  to  the 
vast  development  of  wealth,  the  greatly  Increased 
expenditures  for  luxuries,  and  the  multiplying 
opportunities  to  bring  the  entire  world  to  Christ. 
It  behooves  the  Church  to  study  carefully  and 
immediately  the  whole  question  of  training  future 
generations  in  Christicin  benevolence.  Christian 
character  is  more  important  than  money  and  if 
once  properly  developed  will  result  in  fuller  treas- 
uries them  we  can  ever  expect  to  have  by  ap- 
pealing to  other  motives. 

T)angers  to  Jlvoid.  The  chief  danger  to  be 
avoided  then  is  the  employment  of  methods  which 
may  bring  large  and  Immediate  results,  but  results 
which  are  not  based  on  conviction  or  reality. 
Healthy  rivalry  between  classes  and  individuals 
may  be  Ccurried  so  far  that  it  becomes  unhealthy. 
Money  that  goes  mto  the  missionary  treasury  just 
to  get  ahead  of  some  other  class,  with  no  concern 
for  the  object  to  which  it  is  to  be  devoted,  can- 
not be  used  largely  of  God  and  will  be  a posi- 
tive harm  to  the  giver.  Giving  that  is  purchased 


6 


THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


by  prizes  is  unwholesome,  and  should  be  dis- 
couraged. TTiere  is  no  surer  way  of  deadening 
future  missionary  interest. 

Earl};  ^development  of  Selfishness.  Every 
parent  and  every  observer  of  child  life  knows 
that  many  children  early  develop  a sense  of 
ownership  and  are  selfish  about  the  use  of  their 
effects  by  others.  The  wise  mother  early  attempts 
to  remove  selfishness.  She  insists  that  the  candy 
be  passed  to  all  in  the  room  and  that  the  toys  be 
shared  with  playmates.  It  is  necessary  that  the 
same  policy  be  maintained  in  matters  of  kmdly 
service  and  in  the  giving  of  money.  The  same 
mother  who  has  her  boy  share  his  candy  some- 
times puts  a damper  on  his  generous  decision  to 
give  largely  of  the  money  that  is  his  own.  This 
is  a mistake.  There  may  be  danger  of  children 
failing  to  appreciate  the  value  of  money  and  they 
may  learn  to  spend  too  much  for  foolish  pleasures, 
but  there  is  no  evidence  that  there  are  many 
who  are  trained  to  be  too  generous  towards  the 
Church, 

Habit  Formation.  It  is  Impossible  to  begin 
the  formation  of  right  habits  too  early  in  life,  in- 
cluding habits  of  giving.  A boy  soon  finds  a 
hundred  ways  to  spend  his  money  and  the  habit 
of  giving  to  the  Church  should  begin  the  day  he 
first  goes  to  Sunday  School.  The  custom  of  giv- 
ing children  an  allowance  or  helping  them  to 
earn  money  is  growing.  It  is  wise,  in  fact  almost 
necessary,  that  the  gifts  to  the  Sunday  School  be 

7 


MISSIONARY  GIVING  IN 


made  from  the  child’s  own  money  if  he  is  to 
benefit  from  the  gift.  Only  in  doing  so  will  the 
gift  be  really  his.  If  father  supplies  the  Sunday 
School  money  for  a boy  of  five,  he  will  be  per- 
mitted to  continue  as  long  as  the  parent  is  willing. 
In  some  cases  boys  or  girls  depend  upon  the 
parent  to  attend  to  all  benevolent  matters  even 
after  they  begin  to  earn  their  own  mcome. 

METHODS  OF  GIVING 

Bible  Methods.  The  only  method  by  which 
the  Church  will  ever  be  adequately  financed  is 
the  Bible  method.  The  Bible  method  is  sensible 
and  is  the  business  method  which  we  apply  to 
all  our  other  fin2uici2il  obligations.  “Upon  the 
first  day  of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay 
by  him  in  store,  as  God  hath  prospered  him.” 
I Cor.  1 6:2.  TTiis  giving  is  Unanimous — every 
one  of  you;  Systematic — on  the  first  day  of  the 
week;  Proportionate — as  God  hath  prospered 
him.  Every  child  should  be  taught  to  give  some- 
thing. Few  are  so  poor  that  they  do  not  have  a 
few  cents  to  spend.  They  should  also  be  taught 
to  give  regularly.  Most  people  would  find  it 
difficult  to  pay  the  grocer  once  a year  or  the 
rent  annually.  The  system  of  annual  subscrip- 
tions and  gifts  to  currerit  expenses  and  to  benevo- 
lences will  hold  the  Church  in  chains  so  long  as 
it  exists.  Break  the  chains,  if  possible,  with  adults, 
but  be  certain  that  they  never  bind  the  children. 


8 


THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


TTiey  should  be  taught  to  give  proportionately. 
The  gifts  should  increase  with  the  eJlowance, 
otherwise  a two  cents  a week  basis  may  be  con- 
tinued through  life.  Every  element  in  this  Bible 
method  is  practical  for  Sunday  School  use. 

Jl  Worthy  Example.  Is  it  not  true  that 
most  of  our  great  givers  began  to  give  when 
young,  following  the  Bible  method  ? Certainly 
many  of  them  did.  One  illustration  may  help  us 
see  the  way  it  worked  out.  Many  years  ago 
William  Colgate,  a lad  of  1 6 years,  left  home  to 
seek  his  fortune.  He  carried  all  his  worldly  pos- 
sessions in  his  hand.  As  he  trudged  along,  he 
met  an  old  neighbor,  the  captain  of  a caneJ-boat; 
and  then  the  following  conversation  took  place: 

“Well,  William,  where  are  you  going?" 

“I  don’t  know,"  he  answered ; “father  is  too 
poor  to  keep  me  at  home  any  longer,  and  says 
1 must  now  make  a living  for  myself." 

“Tliere’s  no  trouble  about  that,”  said  the 
captain.  “ Be  sure  you  start  right  and  you’ll  get 
along  finely." 

William  told  his  friend  that  the  only  trade 
he  knew  anything  about  was  soap  and  candle 
making,  at  which  he  had  helped  his  father  while 
at  home. 

“Well,”  said  the  old  man,  “let  me  pray 
>vilh  you  once  more,  and  give  you  a little  advice, 
and  then  I will  let  you  go.” 

TTiey  both  kneeled  down  upon  the  tow- 


MISSIONARY  GIVING  IN 


path,  the  dear  old  man  prayed  earnestly  for 
William,  and  then  gave  this  advice:  “Some 

one  will  soon  be  the  leading  soap-maker  m New 
York.  It  can  be  you  as  well  as  any  one,  1 hope 
it  may.  Be  a good  man;  give  your  heart  to 
Christ;  give  the  Lord  all  that  belongs  to  Him 
of  every  dollar  you  earn;  make  an  honest  soap; 
give  a full  pound;  and  I am  certain  you  will  yet 
be  a prosperous  and  rich  man.” 

When  the  boy  anived  in  the  city  he  found 
it  hard  to  get  work.  He  was  lonesome  and  far 
from  home,  but  he  remembered  his  promise  to 
the  old  captain,  and  the  first  dollar  he  earned 
brought  up  the  question  of  the  Lord’s  part.  He 
soon  decided  that  ten  cents  of  every  dollar  were 
sacred  to  the  Lord. 

Having  regular  employment,  he  soon  became 
a partner;  and  after  a few  years  the  sole  owner 
of  the  business.  He  made  an  honest  soap,  gave 
a full  pound,  and  instructed  his  bookkeeper  to 
open  an  account  with  the  Lord,  and  carry  one- 
tenth  of  all  his  income  to  that  account.  He  pros- 
pered; his  business  grew;  his  family  was  blessed; 
his  soap  sold,  and  he  grew  rich  faster  than  he 
had  ever  hoped.  He  then  gave  the  Lord  two- 
tenths,  and  prospered  more  than  ever;  then  he 
gave  three-tenths;  then  four-tenths;  then  five- 
tenths. 

He  educated  his  family,  settled  all  his  plans 
for  life,  and  gave  all  his  income  to  the  Lord.  He 
prospered  more  than  ever. 


10 


THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


This  is  the  story  of  Mr.  William  Colgate, 
who  has  given  millions  of  dollars  to  the  Lord’s 
cause,  and  left  a name  that  will  never  die. 

A System  Necessary.  The  large  sums 
which  have  gone  annually  into  the  treasuries  of 
our  benevolent  boards  from  the  Sunday  School, 
have  been  given  largely  as  a result  of  a system- 
atic plan  of  monthly  offerings.  That  plan  should 
be  continued  until  a better  one  is  discovered.  It 
should  also  be  strengthened  in  every  possible 
way. 

Subscription  Cards.  The  use  of  subscription 
cards  for  missions  is  being  introduced  with  suc- 
cess in  many  places.  A subscription  basis  is 
necessary  m carrying  on  the  work  of  the  Church, 
and  there  are  many  reasons  why  it  can  be  in- 
troduced with  profit  in  the  Sunday  School.  It 
certainly  will  help  reach  the  twofold  aim  out- 
lined in  this  leaflet.  By  insisting  that  children 
consult  their  parents  before  subscribing,  the  ob- 
jectionable features  of  the  plan  can  be  over- 
come.* A Superintendent  writes:  “We  have 
used  the  subscription  cards  in  our  school  for  two 
years.  Almost  every  member  above  the  primary 
department  subscribes  on  a monthly  basis.  Most 
subscriptions  are  met  in  a businesslike  way,  pay- 
ments are  made  when  returning  from  absence 
and  the  whole  plan  meets  with  general  approvaL” 
The  Elm  Park  Sunday  School  of  Scranton,  Pa., 

* See  " Minionary  Education  in  the  Sunday  School." 


U 


MISSIONARY  GIVING  IN 


reports  an  average  annual  gift  of  over  seventy 
cents  per  capita  as  the  result  of  the  use  of  pledge 
cards  and  monthly  offerings. 

The.  Monthly  Envelope  System.  The  ex- 
perience of  most  Sunday  Schools  shows  that  an 
envelope  of  some  kind  is  most  valuable.  It  is  a 
great  aid  to  system  in  giving,  tends  constantly  to 
remind  one  of  the  obligation,  and  is  a convenient 
method  of  paying  and  receiving  credit.  A 
monthly  envelope  for  the  missionary  offering  for 
each  month  of  the  year  is  available  and  has  been 
used  with  great  success.*  The  Rev.  A.  R. 
Williams,  of  Oskaloosa,  Kansas,  writes:  “Have 
been  using  monthly  missionary  envelopes  for  a 
year.  Offerings  quadrupled.  The  plan  is  O. 
K.  when  well  worked.  Send  me  supplies  for  a 
Sunday  School  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
scholars.” 

Annual  Missionary  Day.  Many  of  our 
most  prominent  Sunday  Schools  lay  great  em- 
phasis upon  an  annual  missionary  day  at  which 
time  the  entire  period  is  devoted  to  missions.  In 
many  schools  Easter  is  the  time  selected,  in 
others  it  is  the  last  missionary  Sunday  of  the 
conference  year.  Class  offerings  or  pledges  are 
received  at  this  time  which  supplement  the  reg- 
ular offerings.  It  is  a time  for  missionary  educa- 
tion, for  summing  up  the  work  of  the  year  and 
for  inspiration  for  larger  things. 

*See  **  Miaionary  Educaboo  in  the  Sunday  School.** 


12 


THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


The  Duplex  Envelope.  A few  Sunday 
Schools  are  experimenting  with  the  duplex  en- 
velope. It  is  becoming  the  recognized  envelope 
for  church  use,  and  the  question  is  naturally 
raised : Why  teach  the  child  one  method  in  the 
Sunday  School  and  another  m the  Church? 
Special  duplex  envelopes  for  the  Sunday  School 
are  available,  and  samples  will  be  furnished  up- 
on request.  St.John’s  Methodist  Sunday  School, 
New  Rochelle,  New  York,  adopted  the  duplex 
envelope  to  be  used  by  members  who  chose 
to  do  so.  It  is  used  by  almost  all  members  of 
the  Junior  Department  The  receipts  from  that 
department  for  the  month  of  August,  1913, 
were  $10.81,  as  compared  with  $3.66  for 
August,  1912,  or  a gain  of  295  per  cent 
Correlating  Church  and  Sunday  School 
Giving.  The  use  of  the  duplex  envelope  in  the 
Sunday  School  raises  the  question  of  the  relation 
of  the  giving  of  the  Church  and  Sunday  School. 
Should  the  Sunday  School  support  itself,  or 
should  it  be  supported  by  the  Church  ? This 
question  has  long  been  discussed.  In  theory 
many  say  that  the  Church  should  support  the 
School ; in  practice,  most  Schools  support  them- 
selves. Here  is  an  opportunity  for  progressive 
Schools  to  experiment.  Let  the  cost  of  sustaining 
the  Sunday  School  be  made  a part  of  the  bud- 
get of  the  Church,  and  let  every  member  of  the 
Sunday  School  be  informed  concerning  the 
reasons  why  money  is  needed  for  the  support  of 


13 


MISSIONARY  GIVING  IN 


the  Church  and  the  benevolent  organizations 
and  be  canvassed  the  same  as  any  church  mem- 
ber, and  be  given  the  duplex  envelope.  Let  the 
envelopes  be  given  through  the  Sunday  School 
or  through  the  Church  as  the  giver  may  choose. 
Would  the  result  be  deaeased  gifts?  Probably 
not,  but  in  any  case  would  not  one  result  be  a 
closer  relation  between  the  Sunday  School  and 
Church?  It  would  be  easier  to  Impress  the  fact 
that  the  Sunday  School  is  a part  of  the  Church, 
and  children  would  be  giving  to  the  Church 
from  the  first,  and  would  naturally  continue. 

Giving  and  Worship.  Reference  was  made 
on  page  5 to  the  relation  of  giving  to  worship. 
That  paragraph  was  w-ritten  with  a conviction 
that  our  Sunday  School  financial  methods  must 
be  relieved  of  many  of  the  unwise  and  harmful 
customs  that  have  developed  in  the  past,  and 
made  a part  of  worship  for  the  sake  of  both  the 
child  and  the  collection.  So  far  as  actual  re- 
sults in  receipts  were  concerned,  it  was  all  theory. 
The  following  experience  of  the  Junior  Depart- 
ment of  a New  Jersey  Sunday  School  was 
leauned  therefore  with  great  pleasure.  A new 
superintendent  was  appointed  to  this  department. 
A first  step  was  to  adopt  a policy  to  the  effect 
that  there  should  be  no  competition  between 
classes,  and  no  announcements  of  amounts  given, 
either  by  classes  or  the  department  as  a whole. 
Gi\ing  was  placed  on  the  plane  of  worship. 
The  scripture  offering  service,  printed  in  the 


14 


THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Junior  Department  Program  No.  1 was  intro- 
duced. The  class  treasurers  brought  the  offering 
to  the  front  and  stood  there  during  the  service, 
which  closed  with  prayer.  This  made  the  giv- 
ing of  the  school  a real  part  of  worship.  In  the 
six  months  following  the  average  offering  in- 
aeased  from  99  cents  to  $2.84  and  the  mission- 
ary offering  to  $3.63.  In  addition  to  this  the 
children  gave  $30. 1 8 as  a Christmas  gift  to  the 
poor  and  $5.1 6 to  the  flood  sufferers. 

Conclusions.  The  financial  results  of  our  plan 
of  missionary  givmg  in  the  Sunday  School  are 
easily  tabulated.  As  was  indicated  in  the  begin- 
ning, the  total  approximates  nearly  $600,000 
annually.  It  is  a large  total  but  means  a per 
capita  giving  of  only  fifteen  cents  annually,  or 
one  and  one-quarter  cents  per  month.  The 
spiritual  results  cannot  be  tabulated  but  they  are 
doubtless  large.  And  yet  who  would  say  that 
Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  Schools  can  do  no 
more?  The  fact  that  some  schools  have  indi- 
cates that  others  can.  Should  we  not  increase 
this  per  capita  record  Immediately  and  can  we 
not  hope  and  pray  and  work  for  a generation  of 
Christians  more  fully  devoted  to  the  coming  of 
the  Kingdom?  Such  is  the  task  and  such  the 
privilege  of  our  generation. 


15 


Correspondence 


Correspondence  con- 
cerning any  phase  of 
missionary  education 
and  giving  in  the  Sun- 
day School  may  be 
addressed  to  the  Board 
of  Sunday  Schools, 
1018  South  Wabash 
Avenue,  Chicago,  or 
to  the  Department  of 
Missionary  Education, 
1 50  Fifth  Avenue, 
New  York  City. 


